According to statements from his family, legendary English actor Alan Rickman has died at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer.

Rickman is known for many legendary roles including villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies.

Rickman also appeared in numerous cult classics including Kevin Smith’s Dogma and the holiday blockbuster Love Actually.

JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books, said: “There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man”, while Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore, said: “Everybody loved Alan. He was always happy and fun and creative and very, very funny.”

Since his first screen role in Die Hard, Rickman has been one of the hardest working men in show business, regularly appearing in multiple projects each year.

Rickman was reportedly surrounded by friends and family when he passed.